The first residents are settling into Ashburton’s new lifestyle village on the eastern side of town.

Once completed, Ashburton Rivers Freedom Lifestyle Village will feature 255 multi-sized units with easy, low-maintenance living.

Toni Williams caught up with them over a cuppa.

Ashburton couple Marilyn Meyer-Veitch and Paul Veitch and former Bay of Plenty couple Judy and Warren Heathcoat have moved into units at Ashburton Rivers.

Its a new village aimed at people over-50 which is currently under development on Trevors Rd.

It is being built in sections, with the first section completed.

Of the first two couples in; one liked the idea of watching passing activity, the other opted for more privacy.

Both bought into the Freedom Village concept because it offered capital gains at the end of an occupancy.

Marilyn and Paul were the first couple to move in.

They downsized from a three-bedroom family home with large section at Hampstead, into a modern two-bedroom unit with two bathrooms.

‘‘We watched it right from day one, virtually when they turned the first turf,’’ Marilyn said, of the village’s development.

It has apartments through to three-bedroom stand alone homes.

‘‘I had been thinking of downsizing from a big old house and section in Ashburton to something more manageable.

‘‘I wanted to go in to a retirement village - there was nothing else here so we had no option - but Paul was dead against it.’’

The couple have a caravan and like to spend time at their bach at Hakatere.

But being able to pack up and leave with no worries had been a deciding factor. They can also store their caravan on site.

‘‘This is ideal. It means we can go away far, far longer than we used too,’’ Marilyn said.

Lawn mowing and gardening on the scale they had were also a thing of the past.

‘‘I would start panicking when we were away, thinking ‘oh, the grass has grown, the weeds have grown’... and I just didn’t enjoy it.

‘‘I just wanted to get home.’’

Now, the pair, who retired to Ashburton from Springston, have not looked back.

‘‘We can go away more often and we can stay longer,’’ she said.

‘‘There’s no lawns, so you don’t have to worry.’’

Marilyn said getting a share of the capital gains at the time of sale was also an major appeal.

Judy agreed.

She and husband and Warren Heathcoat moved to Ashburton from Ohope, Bay of Plenty.

They had not intended to move, but liked the Freedom Village concept and had visited every one of their villages in New Zealand.

It came down to timing, Warren said.

‘‘We always felt that the Freedom Village concept was far more equitable than any other retirement village around, or lifestyle village.

‘‘The timing just wasn’t right and some of them didn’t appeal because of their environment,” he said.

A jaunt around the South Island in their motorhome earlier this year changed everything.

‘‘We went into Ravenswood, (north of Christchurch) and we liked the homes ... we just didn’t like the area because it was all brand new,’’ Judy said.

It was there they learnt of a new development happening in Ashburton, which was due to open.

So they continued driving south.

‘‘They couldn’t get rid of us for six days,’’ Judy said, of their frequent visits to the Trevors Rd site and around Ashburton.

‘‘We just loved it. Everything we did and everywhere we went,” Judy said.

‘‘I suppose it was just the friendliness and the whole look and feel. It just felt right.’’

Once completed, the complex will boast indoor and outdoor relaxing and dining spots, lounges, a library space, a gym, a communal workshop, alongside well-maintained gardens and a dedicated resident RV parking.

The Heathcoats decided to reserved a three-bedroom corner unit; saying if they went home, put their home on the market and it sold, it was meant to be.

‘‘We weren’t even planning on moving when we left home,’’ she said.

Their Ohope home — with ocean views — which they had built for their retirement sold quickly.

They farewelled grandchildren up north, and have moved closer to a son in Christchurch.

However, they have moved south for themselves.

‘‘Too many people I know have gone to where their children are and that’s just not (worked out).

‘‘We did it for us,’’ she said.

It was an exciting move.

‘‘We thoroughly enjoy touring the South Island, and thought, ‘we could live here for a while,’’ Warren said.

The two couples first met for scones over an impromptu ‘happy hour’ in the temporary residents’ lounge which has been set up until the village centre is built in the next stage.

It ended up being an enjoyable three-hour event.